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1933

Father of the blood bank

After developing a safe and highly sterile system for preserving large quantities of blood plasma, Charles Drew put his techniques to the test as the medical supervisor for the Blood for Britain campaign during the Second World War, overseeing a fleet of refrigerated "bloodmobiles" that delivered plasma to wounded soldiers and civilians as Nazi warplanes rained bombs throughout England. Following the war, the Red Cross tapped Drew to lead its budding blood donor program.

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